“Among Indian players, I can only think of Ishan Kishan” - RCB explain picking Phil Salt over Faf du Plessis in IPL 2025
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) seem to have built a potent squad ahead of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). After their releases and retentions, the franchise needed a fiery opening batter at the top.
They bought explosive English opener Phil Salt at the IPL 2025 mega auction for ₹11.5 Crore. Salt had an impressive season last year for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and has been among England's top performers on the international level as well.
RCB let go of their opener and skipper Faf du Plessis, releasing him ahead of the auction and not bidding for him later. While many fans expected the franchise to bring du Plessis back, they went after Phil Salt over the South African.
RCB released a video on social media platform X, explaining the thinking behind picking Phil Salt over Faf du Plessis. Salt's numbers, coupled with his wicketkeeping abilities, made him a solid choice.
Du Plessis' age was among the key factors behind not being retained or bringing him back at the auction. Dinesh Karthik, now part of RCB's support staff, highlighted the importance of a batter's strike rate against spin in the first six balls of the innings.
The video highlights that the franchise wanted an overseas opener.
"We would want a foreign opener because, on the day they get going, they can score a hundred in 60, 50, or 40 balls, whatever it might be. Players like Jos Buttler and Phil Salt have done this time and time again," Karthik said.
Assessing the Indian options, Karthik said Ishan Kishan was the only name that came to his mind in terms of power and explosive hitting.
"Among Indian players, I can only think of Ishan Kishan, who has done that to a small degree. We know why we don't want to go there (open with an Indian opener) because the power is not there," he reflected.
About Salt, Karthik said:
"My concurrence is that Phil Salt scores six to eight runs in an over 28% of the time and 12–15 runs in an over 30% of the time. In one out of four overs, he scores 16 or more runs, and in one out of two overs, he scores 12 or more."
In the video, Mo Bobat, RCB's director of cricket operations, also highlighted Phil Salt's consistency and boundary-hitting ability.
Barring Faf du Plessis, the list of potential openers discussed included Phil Salt, Will Jacks, Rachin Ravindra, and Jos Buttler.
The video ended with a final note that said:
"Salt, Jacks, and Faf were considered for the opening slot. Salt's staggering numbers, dual skill of wicketkeeping, and auction order made him a priority option, and RCB ended up picking Salt for Rs 11.5 crore."
Faf du Plessis' impressive numbers for RCB
Faf du Plessis became the captain of RCB in 2022 and proved to be a consistent performer for the side. He scored 1636 runs in three seasons (2022-2024) at an average of 38.05 and a strike rate of close to 147.
Faf also scored 15 half-centuries during this period and had a top score of 96. In 2024, he scored 438 runs with a strike rate of over 161.
Despite his impressive performances, RCB chose to move on from the 40-year-old eventually.